The invention relates to a tray assembly, particularly for use in nursing homes with nursing home bed assemblies. A system defining a particular nursing home environment is disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 136,095 filed Mar. 31, 1980 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,042 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein), and the tray assembly according to the present invention is designed to form a part of that system. The tray assembly according to the invention is constructed with the nursing home environment in mind and when integrated with a system such as disclosed in said application Ser. No. 136,095 provides safety, comfort, control, and a sense of personal ownership for aging people occupying the nursing home.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a tray assembly is provided having a body including a head portion, foot portion, a pair of parallel side portions, and a substantially flat support surface that gently slopes downwardly from the head to the foot portion. A vertical lip is provided upstanding from the support surface preferably around the entire circumference thereof, but at least at the foot portion and portions of the side portions adjacent the foot portion. The vertical lip and the gentle slope of the support surface insure that any liquids or the like that are spilled will be maintained on the tray and will not spill off onto the bed. The assembly further comprises means for mounting the body on a pair of generally parallel horizontally spaced supports so that an individual utilizing the tray can eat off of or write on the tray with the tray securely supported by the supports. Preferably a cutout is formed in the tray head portion for allowing an individual utilizing the tray to position themself so that side portions of the tray are on either side of the individual's body, facilitating use of the tray.
According to another aspect of the present invention a tray assembly is provided comprising a body having a substantially flat support surface and adjustable means for mounting the body on a pair of parallel spaced supports so that the body may be securely supported by support structures having varying horizontal spacings. The mounting means comprises a pair of substantially U-shaped rods, each having a pair of legs and a cross portion. A support-engaging member is mounted on each cross portion and channel-defining means are formed in association with the bottom of the tray body for mounting the rod legs for movement toward and away from side portions of the tray body. The channel-defining means preferably are formed by passageways formed in the tray bottom and a pair of extension brackets cooperating with the passageways in the tray bottom. The support engaging members preferably comprise clips formed of flexible material and having semicircular portions for actually engaging the supports with a circumferential extent of greater than 180.degree..
According to a further aspect of the present invention a bed assembly is provided including a mattress, mattress supporting structure including a toe board, a pair of rails, and means for mounting the rails so that a rail is disposed along each side of the mattress, at least adjacent the head portion of the mattress, the rails being substantially parallel and adapted to be disposed at the same vertical height. The tray assembly according to the invention is associated with the bed assembly. Preferably the toe board comprises a pair of spaced rail sections attached thereto and upstanding therefrom and having substantially the same configuration as the bed rails. The means for mounting the body portion of the tray include means for mounting rail-engaging members so that the spacing thereof may be adjusted so that they may be mounted either on the rails or on the rail sections. The cutout formed in the head portion of the tray insures that the tray will not interfere with bed hardware when mounted on the rail sections, in addition to facilitating use by an individual on the mattress when the tray is mounted on the rails.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a tray assembly, and a bed assembly utilizing same, particularly taking into account the needs of aging people occupying nursing homes (although being applicable to other uses as well). This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.